ROME – Heather Bansley and Elizabeth Maloney, both of Toronto, had an impressive start at the beach volleyball world championships on Monday upsetting 15th seeds Tamsin Hinchley and Alice Rohkamper of Austria 21-17, 22-20.

‘’Today's match was a tough fight,’’ said Maloney, seeded 39th with her partner. ‘’Nerves were a factor for both teams but we were able to steady out and make some defensive points when we needed to. We came back in the second set, down 15-12 to win 22-20. Heather made some great digs to get us a lead at the end so we could win in two. Tomorrow we will work on being steady against Russia.’’

Annie Martin of Sherbrooke, Que., and Marie-Andrée Lessard of Ville LaSalle, Que., play their first match Tuesday.

On the men’s side Christian Redmann of Toronto and Ben Saxton of Calgary also start Tuesday.